raid

1 of 2

noun

1
a
: a hostile or predatory incursion
b
: a surprise attack by a small force
2
a
: a brief foray outside one's usual sphere
b
: a sudden invasion by officers of the law
c
: a daring operation against a competitor
d
: the recruiting of personnel (such as faculty, executives, or athletes) from competing organizations
3
: the act of mulcting public money
4
: an attempt by professional operators to depress stock prices by concerted selling

raid

2 of 2

verb

raided; raiding; raids

intransitive verb

: to conduct or take part in a raid

transitive verb

: to make a raid on

Examples of raid in a Sentence

Noun They launched a raid against the enemy. Weapons were also seized during the drug raid. They caught five smugglers in the raid. Verb The village was raided often by neighboring tribes. Police raided the house and found drugs. Federal agents raided the warehouse, seizing stolen property and arresting five smugglers. She raided her sister's closet to find something to wear to the party.
Recent Examples on the Web
These examples are automatically compiled from online sources to illustrate current usage. Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Noun
Hezbollah has been launching rockets into Israel nearly every day since Hamas’ deadly raid into Israel last year that sparked the war in Gaza. Sarah El Deeb and Samy Magdy, Los Angeles Times, 21 Oct. 2024 Two former Louisville Metro Police officers pleaded not guilty to charges of conspiracy and falsification of records and making false statements to federal investigators in the raid of Breonna Taylor's apartment in court Friday. Marina Johnson, The Courier-Journal, 18 Oct. 2024
Verb
The charges against Combs, detailed in a 14-page federal grand jury indictment unsealed last month, revealed an extensive and ongoing federal investigation into the hip-hop icon since federal agents raided his Los Angeles and Miami homes in March. Kimi Robinson, USA TODAY, 23 Oct. 2024 His homes in Los Angeles and Florida were raided before he was eventually indicted in Manhattan federal court on Sept. 17. Liam Quinn, People.com, 21 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for raid 

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English (Scots) rade, from Old English rād ride, raid — more at road

First Known Use

Noun

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1848, in the meaning defined at intransitive sense

Time Traveler
The first known use of raid was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near raid

Cite this Entry

“Raid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/raid. Accessed 5 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

raid

1 of 2 noun
: a sudden attack or invasion

raid

2 of 2 verb
: to make a raid on
raider noun

More from Merriam-Webster on raid

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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